Coordinator, Western Illinois Survey Division of ITARP B.A. Anthropology, History (Double Major); Minor: Geology Western Illinois University, Macomb M.A. History (Emphasis: Historic Indian Archaeology) Western Illinois University, Macomb E-mail: djnolan@uiuc.edu

General Interest/Area of Focus

David Nolan’s research focus is centered upon North American Eastern Woodlands archaeology, principally that of the Upper Mississippi River Valley region. He has worked in western Illinois for the past twenty years and his interests include lithic technology, settlement patterning, ceramic analysis, and cultural resource management. Dave is especially interested in Paleoindian/Early Archaic and protohistoric/historic Native American cultures but his pursuits are quite diverse; his body of work includes analysis and reporting from nearly the full range of aboriginal and initial EuroAmerican activity in western Illinois.

Nolan has been a fellow in the Illinois Archaeological Survey for more than a decade and is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors for this professional organization. He also presently serves as a technical committee member for the LaMoine River Ecosystem Partnership, a conservation group dedicated to the stewardship of the LaMoine River watershed. In addition, Dave is a long-standing member of the Illinois Association for the Advancement of Archaeology and is active in the avocational/amateur archaeological community.

Current Research

Warsaw Forts Project. Joint project with Dr. Michael Hargrave (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CERL), Steven Tieken (North American Archaeological Institute), and Joe Bartholomew (Warsaw Historical Society) to identify the locations of Fort Johnson and Fort Edwards, two early 19th century military installations located on the Mississippi River bluffs opposite the Des Moines River confluence in Warsaw, Illinois. Project involves the use of documentary sources as well as geophysical (magnetometer & electrical resistance) and standard archaeological survey techniques to document the physical locations of each fort.

Brandon’s Point Project. This research focuses upon an unfunded study of a Middle Paleoindian Folsom-age habitation site located in the Central Illinois River Valley of Fulton County. The project involves multiple revisit survey, controlled surface collection, and lithic analysis of remains recovered from the Brandon’s Point site (11F2989) complex using volunteer labor consisting of both avocational and professional archaeologists. The project also includes collections research at regional institutions as well as collector interview to document additional Folsom-age materials from western Illinois.

Previous Positions

1998-2001 District Archaeologist/Assistant Coordinator, Western Illinois
Survey Division of ITARP.

1993-1998 Project Director, Center for American Archeology, Contract
Archeology Program, Kampsville, Illinois.

1989-1993 Staff Archaeologist, Western Illinois University Archaeological
Research Laboratory, Macomb.

1984-1988 Staff Archaeologist, Center for American Archeology, Contract
Archeology Program, Kampsville, Illinois.

Selected Bibliography

Nolan, David J., and Robert N. Hickson
2006 Archaeological Testing Short Report for the Ed Walch Site (11A1542): FAS 1597/IL 96 Project. Submitted by ITARP to the IDOT, Springfield, Illinois.

Nolan, David J., and Richard L. Fishel
2006 A Review of Archaic Cultural Variation and Lifeways in West Central Illinois. In Archaic Societies of the Midwest, edited by Thomas E. Emerson, Dale L. McElrath, and Andrew Fortier. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln. In Press.

Nolan, David J.
2005 Protohistoric to Early Historic Aboriginal Remains from the Lima Lake Locality.
Illinois Archaeology 17. In Press.

Nolan , David J., and Amy K. Graham
2005 Archaeological Testing Short Report for the Cabin Corner Site (11A1392): FAS 1600 North Bottom Road Project. Submitted by ITARP to the IDOT, Springfield, Illinois.

Nolan, David J. (editor)
2004 Archaeology of the Mississippi Valley uplands of West Central Illinois: Final Report of the FAP 407 and FAP 506 Projects (Volume 1 of 2). Research Reports 98. Illinois Transportation
Archaeological Research Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nolan, David J., and Thomas N. Bainter
2004 Flint Ridge Artifacts from the Central Illinois River Valley. Illinois Antiquity 39(3): 2, 8-9.

Moffat, Charles R., Mary Simon, David J. Nolan, K. Shane Vanderford, and Amy K. Graham
2003 Archaeological Investigations at the Adcock Site (11GE487), Greene County, Illinois. Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program, Research Reports No. 86.

Nolan, David J., Amy K. Graham, and Bruno Calgaro
2003 U.S. 34 Phase I Archaeological Survey, Henderson and Warren
Counties, Illinois. Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research
Program, Research Reports No. 87.

Nolan, David J.
2002 A Distinctive Paleoindian Assemblage from the Central Illinois River Valley. Illinois Antiquity
37 (4): 3-7.

Nolan, David J., and Amy K. Graham
2002 Archaeological Testing Short Report for the Chatellereau Tract of French
Peoria (11P544): FAP 64, US 24/IL 29 (Adams St. and Jefferson Ave.)
Project. Submitted by ITARP to the IDOT, Springfield, Illinois.

Nolan, David J.
2001 Examining the Role of Nets in South Branch Phase Ceramic Vessel Production. Illinois Antiquity 36 (3): 7-8.

Green, William and David J. Nolan
2000 Late Woodland Peoples in West Central Illinois. In: Late Woodland
Societies: Tradition and Transformation across the Midcontinent, edited by
Thomas E. Emerson, Dale L. McElrath, and Andrew C. Fortier, pp. 345-
386. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.

Nolan, David J., and Lawrence A. Conrad
1998 Characterizing Lima Lake Oneota. The Wisconsin Archaeologist 79 (2):
116-145.

Hansen, Eric G., and David J. Nolan
1998 Was the Cochran 10 Site A Theban Persistent Place? Assemblage
Structure and Settlement Patterns in the Early Archaic of West Central
Illinois. Illinois Archaeology 10: 294-330.

Nolan, David J., Kyle Ullman, and Julieann Van Nest
1997 Preliminary Archaeological Overview Study of the Macomb Bypass Alternates in
McDonough County, Illinois. Center for American Archaeology, Contract
Archaeology Program, Report of Investigations No. 241.

Nolan, David J. and Eric G. Hansen
1995 The Payson Chert Toolkit: Scale of Mobility and Technological
Organization in the Early Archaic of West Central Illinois. In: 1994-1995
Interim Report of the FAP 407-Route 336 Project: Tested Sites in the Bear
Creek Segment; Geological Overview; and a Study of Payson
Chert, pp. 288-360, edited by Eric G. Hansen, Center for American
Archaeology, Contract Archaeology Program, Report of Investigations
No. 197F.

Nolan, David J., and Eric G. Hansen
1994 Excavations on the FAP 407-Route 336 Quincy to Mendon
Priority Segment. Reports of Investigations No. 197E. Contract
Archeology Program, Center for American Archeology, Kampsville, IL.

Nolan, David J.
1993 A Late Woodland Keyhole Structure from Adams County, Illinois. Illinois
Antiquity 28 (1): 10-14.

Nolan, David J. and Robert N. Hickson
1993 Buried Upland Sites: Practical Considerations for Archaeologists and
Cultural Resource Managers. Illinois Antiquity 28 (4): 4-11.

Nolan, David J., Lawrence A. Conrad, and Sarah J. Studenmund
1992 Preliminary Cultural Resources Identification and Predictive Modeling for
The Chautauqua, Cameron, and Meredosia National Wildlife Refuges,
Mason, Marshall, Morgan, and Cass Counties, Illinois. Reports of
Investigations 22, Archaeological Research Laboratory,
Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL

Nolan, David J.
1991 Final Report of Phase II Testing on the FAP 53 (U.S. Rt 136) Project:
Archaic and Weaver Occupations in the Confluence Area of the LaMoine
River. Reports of Investigations 24, Archaeological Research Laboratory,
Western Illinois University, Macomb.

Nolan, David J., and Floyd Mansberger
1989 Results of Archaeological Testing and National Register of Historic Places
Determination of Archaeological site 11MC122, Mercer County, Illinois. Reports
of Investigations 15. Archaeological Research Laboratory, Western Illinois
University, Macomb.

Complete Vitae (pdf)

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